Improvement in skates



thritnl tang @utenti "Miet `JOHN W. POST, OF CASTILE, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 87,791, dated March 1 6, 1869; wuts/dated Februa/ry2.7, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SKATES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making par: of thelume.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. PosT, of Castile, in the county of Wyoming,and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSkates; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact description ofthe same, suflicient to enable others skilled in theart to which the invention appertains, to fully understand and use it,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a bottom view.

`Figure 2 is a cross-section view.

Figure 3 is a top view.

The subject of this invention is a skate, provided with movable clamps,and a novel arrangement of devices for adjustingv the same.

Inthe drawings- A may represent a skate-runner, and

B, a metallic foot-rest, mounted upon and securely fastened to theupwardly-projecting supports a al which are formed on the runner. Theseparts may be of customary or any desired construction.

C C are clamps, or claws, by which the skate is secured to the forepartof the foot, and

D D are similal clamps, or claws, by which the skate is secured to theheel.

The clamps O C and D are alike in form, as shown,

Vand are adapted respectively to grasp the sides o f the sole and theside of the heel of the boot or shoe.

Each of the clamps C C and D is held to the under side of the foot-restB, by a set-screw, c, and each of said clamps is provided with a slot,c, through which the set-screw c passes.

These slots adapt the setscrews, while properly detaining the clamps C Cand D against the under side of the foot-rest B, to admit of the inwardand outward movement of the clamps, to suit the size of the sole andheel of 'the boot or shoe. Y

The adjustment of the clamps for this purpose, is effected by means ofset-screws c2, one of which is iitted to a screw-threaded aperture in adownward projection,

ci, on each clamp.

Theset-screws c2 are fitted to work in screw-threaded apertures in thesupports al a2, and stationary lug a3.

While the clamps C O' D are adjustable, by the means above described,the heelclamp D is rendered capable of adjustment with greater facilityandexpedition, by means of the lever E, upon the rear end of which thesaid clamp or claw D is formed.

This lever is secured to the under side of the foot rest B, by a strongpivot at e, and that part of the lever forward of the pivot, constitutesa spring, and is provided with a finger-loop or rest, c', to enable theforward extremity of the said lever E to be shifted from one notch toanother in the rack F.

The clamps C C are situated at diagonally-opposite points on thefoot-rest B, the clamp C being considerably nearer to the fron-t of theskate thany 0'; hence, when the clamps C C are adjusted by the screwsc2, to suit the size of the foot upon which the skate is to be worn,said clamps do not require any further adjustment, because, when theskate is held obliquely to the foot, the sole of the boot has ample roombetween the clamps, and then, by turning the skate in line with thefoot, the diagonal clamps firmly grasp and bind the sole on oppositesides, and so secure the forward part ofthe skate immovably upon thefoot.

The licei-clamp D is, in like manner with the clamps C O', adjusted bythe set-screw to suit the size of the boot, and then needs no furtheradjustment, for when, in applying the skate to the foot, the clamps G C'have been made to grasp the sole, as above described, the heel-clamp D,which has been previously turned out laterally, to allow the heel of theboot to be placed in position upon the foot-rest, is turned inwardagainst the heel of the boot, and made to tightly grasp and hold thesame, in conjunction with the clamp D', by being fixed in engagement atthe desired point with the rack F, which latter is screwed, or otherwiseimmovably fastened to the under side of the foot-rest B.

The several clamps may be serrated or rougliened,

or both serrated and roughened, the better to adapt,

